Richard Castera

So what is Groovy? Groovy is like a super version of Java. It can leverage Java's enterprise capabilities but also has cool productivity features like closures, builders and dynamic typing. If you are a developer, tester or script guru, you have to love Groovy. Below are some of it's features.

• Is an agile and dynamic language for the Java Virtual Machine
• Builds upon the strengths of Java but has additional power features inspired by languages like Python, Ruby and Smalltalk
• Makes modern programming features available to Java developers with almost-zero learning curve
• Supports Domain-Specific Languages and other compact syntax so your code becomes easy to read and maintain
• Makes writing shell and build scripts easy with its powerful processing primitives, OO abilities and an Ant DSL
• Increases developer productivity by reducing scaffolding code when developing web, GUI, database or console applications
• Simplifies testing by supporting unit testing and mocking out-of-the-box
• Seamlessly integrates with all existing Java objects and libraries
• Compiles straight to Java bytecode so you can use it anywhere you can use Java

A simple hello world script:

def name='World'; println "Hello $name!"

A more sophisticated version using Object Orientation:

class Greet {
  def name
  Greet(who) { name = who[0].toUpperCase() +
                      who[1..-1] }
  def salute() { println "Hello $name!" }
}

g = new Greet('world')  // create object
g.salute()              // Output "Hello World!"

Leveraging existing Java libraries:

import static org.apache.commons.lang.WordUtils.*

class Greeter extends Greet {
  Greeter(who) { name = capitalize(who) }
}

new Greeter('world').salute()